CN213780973U - Reading device - Google Patents

Reading device Download PDF

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Publication number
CN213780973U
CN213780973U CN202021378472.8U CN202021378472U CN213780973U CN 213780973 U CN213780973 U CN 213780973U CN 202021378472 U CN202021378472 U CN 202021378472U CN 213780973 U CN213780973 U CN 213780973U
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China
Prior art keywords
radio wave
tag
antenna
absorbing layer
article
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CN202021378472.8U
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
铃木规之
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Tomorrow Star Co ltd
Asterisk Inc Japan
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Tomorrow Star Co ltd
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
    • G06K7/10019—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers.
    • G06K7/10079—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
    • G06K7/10297—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
    • G06K7/10316—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • G06K7/10009—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
    • G06K7/10366—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
    • G06K7/10415—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/08—Payment architectures
    • G06Q20/20—Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
    • G06Q20/208—Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
    • G06Q20/32—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using wireless devices
    • G06Q20/322—Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
    • G06Q20/32—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using wireless devices
    • G06Q20/327—Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
    • G06Q20/3278—RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
    • G07G1/00—Cash registers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
    • G07G1/00—Cash registers
    • G07G1/0036—Checkout procedures
    • G07G1/0045—Checkout procedures with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
    • G07G1/0081—Checkout procedures with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader the reader being a portable scanner or data reader
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
    • G07G1/00—Cash registers
    • G07G1/0036—Checkout procedures
    • G07G1/0045—Checkout procedures with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
    • G07G1/009—Checkout procedures with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader the reader being an RFID reader
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
    • H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
    • H01Q1/2208—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems
    • H01Q1/2216—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems used in interrogator/reader equipment

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
  • Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Finance (AREA)
  • Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Abstract

The utility model provides a reading device reduces the influence of electric wave when guaranteeing the convenience when reading. A reader (20) reads information from an RF tag (12) attached to an article (P). The reading device (20) is provided with: a shielding part (44) which is provided with an opening (30) and accommodates the commodity (P) in the shielding part (44) after passing through the opening (30); and an antenna (60) that emits radio waves for communicating with an RF tag (12) attached to the stored product (P). The reader (20) reads information from the RF tag (12) in a state in which the shield (44) opens.

Description

Reading device
The application is a divisional application of a utility model application with application date of 2018, 11 and 28, application number of 201890000427.3(PCT/JP2018/043860) and utility model name of "reading device".
Technical Field
The utility model relates to a read reading device of information of RF label.
Background
In recent years, a checkout system 100 shown in fig. 7 has been proposed for smooth checkout in stores. The checkout system 100 includes an RF tag 102 attached to each product P, a reader/writer 104 that reads information of the RF tag 102, and a register 106 communicably connected to the reader/writer 104. The reader/writer 104 is provided on the back surface of the checkout counter T, collectively reads information from the RF tags 102 of the articles P in the shopping basket on the checkout counter T, and transmits the read information to the register 106. The register 106 performs a settlement process based on the commodity information (commodity name and price) corresponding to the received information.
According to the checkout system 100, the checkout process can be performed by a simple operation of placing a shopping basket on the checkout stand T. Further, since the checkout process can be performed in a state where the shopping basket is placed on the checkout counter T, the contents of the shopping basket can be visually confirmed, and the customer can confirm the commodity P to be purchased again even during the checkout process. On the other hand, since the communication area of the reader/writer 104 is continuous with the space where the client is located, the radio wave emitted from the antenna of the reader/writer 104 may affect other devices, or the radio wave emitted from other devices may interfere with the communication radio wave of the reader/writer 104.
Here, the reading device of patent document 1 includes a housing for housing a commodity through an opening, and a cover for opening and closing the opening, wherein the housing and the cover are formed of a member that reflects or absorbs radio waves. This reader device reads the RF tag in a state where the opening of the case is closed by the cover, that is, in a state where the article contained in the case is sealed by the shield, and thus the above-described problems relating to radio waves can be prevented.
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-207110
SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL
Problem to be solved by utility model
However, in the reading device of patent document 1, after the commodity is put in the housing and the cover is closed to perform the settlement processing, a troublesome operation such as opening the cover to take out the commodity is required. Further, since the shopping basket accommodated in the housing cannot be visually confirmed, the commodity cannot be confirmed again in the checkout process. I.e. detract from the convenience of the customer.
Thus, it is difficult to reduce the influence of radio waves while ensuring convenience for customers. In addition, such a problem occurs not only in a reading device used for checkout processing, but also in a stationary device that reads an RF tag attached to an article.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a reading apparatus that reduces the influence of radio waves while ensuring convenience in reading.
Means for solving the problems
In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a reader for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reader comprising: an antenna that emits an electric wave for communicating with the RF tag; and a shield portion that houses the antenna and has an opening larger than the article, wherein the reader device reads information from the RF tag in a state where the shield portion opens the opening.
A second aspect of the present invention is a fixed reader for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, comprising: an antenna that emits an electric wave for communicating with the RF tag; and a shield portion that houses the antenna, surrounds the article, and has an upward opening larger than the article, wherein the reader device reads information from the RF tag in a state in which the shield portion opens upward.
A third aspect of the present invention is a fixed reader for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, comprising: an antenna that emits an electric wave for communicating with the RF tag; and a shield portion that houses the antenna, wherein the shield portion is configured to be able to surround a shopping basket in which the article is placed in an upwardly open state and to be able to place and remove the shopping basket, and the reader device reads information from the RF tag while the shield portion maintains the state.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a fixed reader for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, comprising: an antenna that emits a radio wave for communicating with the RF tag, and a shield that houses the antenna and has an upward opening; and a placement portion provided above the opening of the shield portion, for placing the article thereon, wherein the reader reads information from the RF tag in a state where the article is placed on the placement portion.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is a fixed reader that reads information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reader comprising: an antenna that emits a radio wave for communicating with the RF tag, and a shield that houses the antenna and has an upward opening; and a placement portion provided above the opening of the shield portion and configured to place a shopping basket in which the articles are placed, wherein the reader reads information from the RF tag in a state in which the shopping basket is placed on the placement portion.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the reading apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a placement portion disposed closer to the opening side than the antenna for placing the article.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the reading apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the shield portion includes one or both of a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave and a radio wave reflecting layer that reflects the radio wave.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is the reading apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the shielding portion includes: a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave; and a radio wave reflecting layer provided outside the radio wave absorbing layer so as to overlap with the radio wave absorbing layer, the radio wave reflecting layer reflecting the radio wave, and the radio wave reflecting layer extending longer than the radio wave absorbing layer, of the radio wave absorbing layer and the radio wave reflecting layer extending from the opening toward the antenna.
Effect of the utility model
According to the present invention, the antenna is accommodated in the shield portion, so that the spread of the radio wave emitted from the antenna can be suppressed, and the influence of the radio wave on other devices can be reduced. Further, since the shield portion has an opening larger than the article, the RF tag can be read by placing the article in the shield or on the opening. In this case, since reading is performed with the shield portion opened, a complicated operation such as closing the opening is not required as in the conventional case. Therefore, convenience in reading can be ensured and the influence of radio waves can be reduced.
Drawings
Fig. 1(a) and 1(b) are views of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 1(a) is a perspective view of a reader, and fig. 1(b) is a view showing a providing method of providing information by using a mobile terminal.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an RF tag, a reading device, and a mobile terminal constituting the information providing system.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view and a partially enlarged sectional view of the reading apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the mobile terminal described above.
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a reading apparatus according to a modification of the embodiment.
Fig. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view of a reading device according to another modification, fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of a reading device according to still another modification, and fig. 6(c) is a cross-sectional view of a reading device according to still another modification.
Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a conventional checkout system.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of a reading device and an information providing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in fig. 1(a), the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment is used in a store selling a product P such as clothes. In this shop, the RF tag 12 is attached to each product P together with a price tag. As shown in fig. 2, the RF tag 12 is composed of an antenna 14 and an IC chip 18, and the IC chip 18 incorporates a communication circuit (not shown) that communicates with the reader/writer 16 via the antenna 14. The IC chip 18 incorporates a CPU (not shown) and a memory (not shown), and the memory stores unique information (hereinafter referred to as "tag information") set so as to be able to uniquely identify the RF tag 12.
Returning to fig. 1(a) and 1(B), the product P with the RF tag 12 attached thereto is displayed on a shelf or a table in the store, and the customer selects a favorite product P and puts it into the shopping basket B. Here, there is a demand for grasping the total amount of the plurality of items P put in the shopping basket B while shopping is continued. Therefore, in the information providing system 10 according to the present embodiment, the total amount of the products P put in the shopping basket B is displayed on the mobile terminal 22 of the clerk S using the reader 20 that reads the tag information of the RF tag 12.
The reading device 20 and the mobile terminal 22 will be described in detail below.
The reader 20 is a stationary type device that reads tag information by communicating with the RF tag 12 attached to the product P in the shopping basket B, and includes a housing 24 as shown in fig. 3. The housing 24 has a square bottom plate 26 larger than the outer shape of the rim of the shopping basket B. Four wall plates 28 (fig. 1 a and 1 b) are joined to respective edges of the bottom plate 26 and are erected perpendicularly to the bottom plate 26. The wall panels 28 extend vertically to a position approximately at the height of the waist of an adult, with the vertical edges being joined to one another. The four wall plates 28 (fig. 1(a) and 1(b)) and the bottom plate 26 form a square case 24 that is open upward.
Two horizontal plates 32, 50 are provided inside the casing 24 in the vertical direction. The upper horizontal plate 32 is detachably supported by a bracket 34. The horizontal plate 32 is a square plate for placing a shopping basket (fig. 1 a and 1B) in which commodities P (fig. 1 a and 1B) are placed, and the height of the horizontal plate 32 is adjusted so that the shopping basket B placed is housed in the enclosure formed by the wall plates 28. That is, the horizontal plate 32 functions as a placement portion on which the shopping basket B is placed. The lower horizontal plate 50 is bonded to the inner wall surface of each wall plate 28. An antenna 60 of the reader/writer 16 is disposed on the horizontal plate 50. The horizontal plates 32, 50, the wall plates 28, and the bottom plate 26 are formed of wood.
Here, the radio wave reflecting sheet 38 is attached to the inner wall surface 42 of each wall plate 28, which extends to a position above the horizontal plate 50. The radio wave reflection sheet 38 is a sheet made of metal such as aluminum, and functions as a radio wave reflection layer that reflects radio waves through its surface. A radio wave absorbing sheet 40 is attached to the entire inner surface of the radio wave reflecting sheet 38. The radio wave absorbing sheet 40 is a sheet obtained by mixing magnetic metal powder with a rubber material, and functions as a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs radio waves inside. Similarly, a radio wave reflection sheet 38 is attached to the upper surface of the horizontal plate 50, and a radio wave absorption sheet 40 is attached to the radio wave reflection sheet 38. The radio wave reflecting sheet 38 and the radio wave absorbing sheet 40 provided on the wall plates 28 and the horizontal plate 50 in this manner constitute a shield portion 44 in which an upward opening 30 is formed for housing the antenna 60.
A space for accommodating shopping basket B is formed by shield 44 and horizontal plate 32. That is, the shield portion 44 and the horizontal plate 32 function as the storage portion 36 for storing the shopping basket B.
The internal space formed below the horizontal plate 50 is a space for installing the main body 48 of the reader/writer 16, and the bottom plate 26 and the lower portions of the four wall plates 28 forming the space function as the base 46. The horizontal plate 50 and the radio wave reflecting sheet 38 and the radio wave absorbing sheet 40 attached to the horizontal plate 50 are provided with through holes 52 penetrating the front and back surfaces thereof, and the antenna 60 and the main body 48 provided on the bottom plate 26 are electrically connected to each other by wires 54 passing through the through holes 52.
As shown in fig. 2, the main body 48 of the reader/writer 16 includes a CPU 56, a memory 58, a communication circuit 62 (a transmission/reception circuit, an oscillation circuit, a modulation/demodulation circuit) for communicating with the RF tag 12 via an antenna 60, and a wifi module 64. The CPU 56 acquires tag information from the RF tag 12 via the communication circuit 62 and the antenna 60 collectively or individually by executing a program in the memory 58, and transmits the tag information to the mobile terminal 22 using the wifi module 64.
As shown in fig. 2, the mobile terminal 22 is a smart device such as a tablet terminal or a smart phone owned by a store clerk S (fig. 1(b)) in a store, and is implemented mainly by a computer provided with a CPU 66, a memory 68, a wifi module 70, a liquid crystal display 72, and a touch sensor 74.
An information providing program 76 is stored in the memory 68. The information providing program 76 is preset with a product table 78. The product table 78 is a table in which product information such as the name, size, and amount of each product P (fig. 1(a) and 1(b)) is associated with each tag information for all the products P in the store. Therefore, the computer having the memory 68 functions as a storage unit 80 (fig. 4) that stores the product information and the tag information in association with each other.
The information providing program 76 also sets a process for providing information on the product P to the customer, and the CPU 66 executes the process. Specifically, the CPU 66 is caused to execute the acquisition step, the information generation step, and the output step in this order.
(1) The acquisition step is a step of acquiring tag information in which a network is connected via the wifi module 70, a reader/writer 16 existing on the connected network is determined according to an IP address, sending of the tag information is requested to the determined reader/writer 16, and the tag information read from the reader/writer 16 is received. In this way, the wifi module 70 and the CPU 66 function as an acquisition unit 82 (fig. 4) that acquires tag information.
(2) The information generation step is a step of generating the provided information to be provided to the customer based on the received tag information, and in the information generation step, the product information corresponding to the received tag information is extracted from the product table 78, and for example, the extracted product information is tabulated or the prices included in the product information are summed up. In this way, the CPU 66 functions as an information generating unit 84 (fig. 4) that generates the provided information.
(3) The output step is a step of outputting the generated provided information, and in the output step, a list of the items P in the shopping basket B and the total amount are displayed on the liquid crystal display 72 as shown in fig. 1 (B). Thus, the CPU 66 and the liquid crystal display 72 function as an output unit 86 (fig. 4) that outputs the provided information.
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the shopping basket B is placed in the storage portion 36 of the reader 20 as shown in fig. 1 a and 1B, the tag information of each product P is read by the reader 20 in a state where the storage portion 36 is open, and the provided information (list, total) is displayed by the portable terminal 22.
According to the reader 20 of the present embodiment, the preparation for reading the RF tag 12 is completed by a simple operation of placing the shopping basket B into the storage portion 36 through the opening 30. In addition, at the time of reading (at the time of communication), the products P in the shopping basket B can be confirmed again while being observed through the opening 30.
Further, the shield 44 constituting the housing portion 36 can suppress the radio wave emitted from the antenna 60 of the reader/writer 16 from spreading around the reader device 20, thereby reducing the influence of the radio wave on other devices. In addition, it is possible to suppress radio waves from other devices in the vicinity of the reader 20 from entering the storage unit 36, and it is possible to reduce a decrease in reading accuracy due to interference of radio waves.
As shown in fig. 3, in the shield portion 44, the radio wave reflection sheet 38 is formed outside the radio wave absorption sheet 40 so as to surround the radio wave absorption sheet 40. Therefore, the weak radio waves leaking from the radio wave absorption sheet 40 are reflected by the radio wave reflection sheet 38 and absorbed inside the radio wave absorption sheet 40, and the radio wave shielding performance is excellent. As a result, the communication area with the RF tag 12 is limited to the storage unit 36 and above, and there is no problem of misreading the tag information of the RF tag 12 of the product P around the reader 20.
The reading device and the information providing system according to the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be implemented, for example, as follows.
< modification example >
(1) In the above embodiment, the antenna 60 of the reader/writer 16 is attached to the horizontal plate 50, but the antenna 60 may be attached to the lower surface side of the horizontal plate 32. In this case, the horizontal plate 50 may be omitted to simplify the configuration. The antenna 60 may be mounted on the upper surface side of the horizontal plate 32. In this case, the radio wave reflection sheet 38 can be provided on the upper surface or the lower surface of the horizontal plate 32 to further reduce the influence of the radio wave. In addition, the antenna 60 may be attached to the inner wall surface side of the wall plate 28. In short, the antenna 60 may be attached to any position as long as it is attached to the inside of the shield 44 at a position apart from the opening 30.
(2) In the above embodiment, the radio wave reflection sheet 38 and the radio wave absorption sheet 40 provided on the inner wall surface of each wall plate 28 may extend downward to such an extent that wireless communication between the main body 48 of the reader/writer 16 and the mobile terminal 22 is not obstructed.
(3) The radio wave absorbing sheet 40 provided on the horizontal plate 50 may be omitted.
(4) The radio wave reflecting layer and the radio wave absorbing layer are not limited to the sheet, and may be formed of a plate material. In this case, the upper portions of the wall plates 28 constituting the peripheral wall around the shield portion 44 may be omitted.
(5) In the above embodiment, the horizontal plate 32 is disposed at a position (depth) at which the shopping basket B is accommodated, but may be disposed at a position (depth) at which a part of the shopping basket B is exposed.
(6) The horizontal plate 32 is not limited to the one disposed inside the shield 44. For example, as shown in fig. 5, the horizontal plate 90 may be provided so as to cover the opening 30 of the shield portion 44. In this case, it is preferable that a mark of a place (area) where the shopping basket B is placed is displayed on the upper surface of the horizontal plate 90. In this modification as well, since the reader 20 communicates in the communication area shown in fig. 3, the influence of radio waves on other devices can be reduced. Further, the customer can simply place the shopping basket B on the horizontal plate 90.
(7) In the above embodiment, the four wall plates 28 form a square enclosure, and the shielding portion 44 is formed along the inner wall surface of the enclosure, but the enclosure may have another polygonal or circular shape, and the shielding portion 44 may similarly have a polygonal or circular shape.
(8) The shield portion may be formed to have an opening in the lateral direction. That is, the housing may include a bottom plate 26, four wall plates 28, a top plate provided at the upper end of each wall plate 28, and horizontal plates 32 and 50, and an opening for receiving and taking out an article may be formed in the upper portion of one wall plate 28. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the radio wave reflection sheet 38 is attached to the entire lower surface of the top plate, and the radio wave absorption sheet 40 is attached to the entire lower surface of the radio wave reflection sheet 38.
(9) The opening 30 of the shield portion 44 may be formed in at least one direction, and the opening 30 of the shield portion 44 may be formed in both directions of upward and lateral directions, for example.
(10) In the above-described embodiment, the reader/writer 16 and the mobile terminal 22 communicate via a network using the wifi modules 64 and 70, respectively, but the communication interface is not limited thereto, and a known wireless communication interface such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) module can be used.
(11) In the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal 22 is used as an information providing device for providing information to a customer, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a device used as a higher-level device of the reader/writer 16, for example, a server capable of communicating with the reader/writer 16 via a network may be used.
(12) In the above embodiments, the description has been given taking clothes as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to various products such as foods, home appliances, books, DVDs, and the like.
(13) In the above embodiments, the description has been given taking a product as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the product, and the present invention may be applied to various articles such as a sample, a card in which service contents are recorded, and a document. In this case, an article table in which tag information is associated with article information about an article is stored in the memory 68 (storage unit 80) of the portable terminal 22 (information providing terminal).
(14) In the above embodiment, the radio wave reflection sheet 38 and the radio wave absorption sheet 40 are disposed so as to overlap the inner wall surface 42, and the radio wave reflection sheet 38 and the radio wave absorption sheet 40 extend from the upper end to the lower end of the inner wall surface 42 with the same dimension. However, as shown in fig. 6(a), the radio wave reflection sheet 38 may be extended longer than the radio wave absorption sheet 40. By thus making the radio wave absorbing sheet 40 absent and only the radio wave reflecting sheet 38 present on the lower side of the inner wall surface 42, the radio wave output from the antenna is prevented from being attenuated directly by the radio wave absorbing sheet 40. As shown in fig. 6(a), only the radio wave reflecting sheet 38 may be laid on the upper surface of the horizontal plate 50.
(15) As shown in fig. 6(b), a shield case 38a may be used as the radio wave reflecting layer. The shield container 38a is a metal container, and an antenna 60a is disposed at the bottom thereof. A radio wave absorbing sheet 40 is attached to the inner surface of the shield case 38a from the opening toward the bottom. A plastic container 94 is fitted inside the radio wave absorbing sheet 40. The article to which the RF tag 12 and the like are attached is put in the plastic container 94, and the bottom of the plastic container 94 is supported by a pedestal 96.
(16) As shown in fig. 6(b), sub-antennas 60b and 60c may be provided in addition to main antenna 60 a. The sub-antennas 60b and 60c assist the main antenna 60a to read the RF tag 12 which cannot be read by the antenna 60 a. These antennas 60a, 60b, and 60c are of a linearly polarized wave type, for example, and the antenna 60a is disposed in the vertical direction. The antennas 60b and 60c are disposed on both sides of the antenna 60a in an angled posture so as to face inward, and emit radio waves obliquely upward. The antennas 60a, 60b, and 60c are not limited to the linearly polarized mode, and may be a circularly polarized mode, and both of the linearly polarized mode and the circularly polarized mode may be used.
(17) In order to improve the directivity of the radio wave emitted from the opening of the reader 20, a guide plate 92 may be provided near the opening as shown in fig. 6 (c). The guide plate 92 is a metal plate attached to each inner wall surface 42 so as to be inclined toward the opening. By providing the guide plate 92 so as to protrude toward the opening in this manner, the unnecessary radio waves radially emitted from the opening of the reader 20 can be reflected by the guide plate 92 or refracted by the guide plate 92, and attenuated by the radio wave absorbing sheet 40, and as a result, the radio waves emitted from the opening of the reader 20 can be restricted to the vertical direction.
The present invention can be implemented in a manner of applying various improvements, modifications, or alterations to the present invention based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, the present invention may be implemented in a manner that any specific matters of the present invention are replaced with other techniques within a range that the same operation and effect are produced.
Description of the reference numerals
10: an information providing system; 12: an RF tag; 16: a reader/writer; 20: a reading device; 22: a mobile terminal (information providing apparatus); 36: a housing part; 38: a radio wave reflection sheet (radio wave reflection layer); 40: a radio wave absorbing sheet (radio wave absorbing layer); 44: a shielding part; 48: a main body of the reader/writer; 60: an antenna; 80: a storage unit; 82: an acquisition unit; 84: an information generating unit; 86: an output section; p: an article (article).

Claims (8)

1. A reading device for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reading device comprising:
an antenna that emits an electric wave for communicating with the RF tag; and
a shield portion that houses the antenna and has an opening larger than the article,
wherein the reading device reads information from the RF tag in a state where the shielding portion is opened,
wherein the reading device is characterized in that,
the shielding part includes:
a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave; and
and a radio wave reflecting layer provided outside the radio wave absorbing layer so as to overlap the radio wave absorbing layer, the radio wave reflecting layer reflecting the radio wave.
2. A reader device of a stationary type for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reader device comprising:
an antenna that emits an electric wave for communicating with the RF tag; and
a shield portion that houses the antenna, surrounds the article, and has an upward opening larger than the article,
wherein the reading device reads information from the RF tag in a state where the shielding portion opens upward,
wherein the reading device is characterized in that,
the shielding part includes:
a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave; and
and a radio wave reflecting layer provided outside the radio wave absorbing layer so as to overlap the radio wave absorbing layer, the radio wave reflecting layer reflecting the radio wave.
3. A reader device of a stationary type for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reader device comprising:
an antenna that emits an electric wave for communicating with the RF tag; and
a shield part for accommodating the antenna,
wherein the shield portion is configured to surround a shopping basket in which the articles are put in an upwardly open state and to allow the shopping basket to be put in and taken out, and the reader reads information from the RF tag while the shield portion maintains the state,
wherein the reading device is characterized in that,
the shielding part includes:
a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave; and
and a radio wave reflecting layer provided outside the radio wave absorbing layer so as to overlap the radio wave absorbing layer, the radio wave reflecting layer reflecting the radio wave.
4. A reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the article placement device is provided with a placement unit that is disposed on the opening side of the antenna and on which the article is placed.
5. A reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
the shield portion is provided between the radio wave absorbing layer and the radio wave reflecting layer extending from the opening toward the antenna, and the radio wave reflecting layer extends longer than the radio wave absorbing layer.
6. A reader device of a stationary type for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reader device comprising:
an antenna that emits an electric wave for communication with the RF tag,
a shield portion that accommodates the antenna and has an upward opening; and
a placement unit disposed above the opening of the shield unit and configured to place the article thereon,
wherein the reading device reads information from the RF tag in a state where the article is placed on the placement portion,
wherein the reading device is characterized in that,
the shielding part includes:
a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave; and
and a radio wave reflecting layer provided outside the radio wave absorbing layer so as to overlap the radio wave absorbing layer, the radio wave reflecting layer reflecting the radio wave.
7. A reader device of a stationary type for reading information from an RF tag attached to an article, the reader device comprising:
an antenna that emits an electric wave for communication with the RF tag,
a shield portion that accommodates the antenna and has an upward opening; and
a placement section provided above the opening of the shield section and configured to place a shopping basket for storing the articles,
wherein the reading device reads information from the RF tag in a state where the shopping basket is placed on the placement portion,
wherein the reading device is characterized in that,
the shielding part includes:
a radio wave absorbing layer that absorbs the radio wave; and
and a radio wave reflecting layer provided outside the radio wave absorbing layer so as to overlap the radio wave absorbing layer, the radio wave reflecting layer reflecting the radio wave.
8. The reading apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,
the shield portion is provided between the radio wave absorbing layer and the radio wave reflecting layer extending from the opening toward the antenna, and the radio wave reflecting layer extends longer than the radio wave absorbing layer.
CN202021378472.8U 2018-11-06 2018-11-28 Reading device Active CN213780973U (en)

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JP7289101B2 (en) * 2019-08-09 2023-06-09 パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社 Reading system and shopping support system provided with it
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JP7505934B2 (en) * 2020-07-28 2024-06-25 東芝テック株式会社 Wireless tag reader
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JP2006264942A (en) * 2005-03-25 2006-10-05 Dainippon Printing Co Ltd Stock management system using integrated circuit tag
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JP2008288784A (en) * 2007-05-16 2008-11-27 Toshiba Tec Corp Radio tag reader/writer antenna
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JP7199097B2 (en) 2023-01-05
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EP3879431A4 (en) 2022-08-10
US12014239B2 (en) 2024-06-18
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US20220004723A1 (en) 2022-01-06
EP3879431A1 (en) 2021-09-15

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